5 Week Old Not Sleeping....

I'm in the same boat. My first born son slept very well in his bassinet but not my second one. We let him sleep in the swing or on me in the rocker from 4 wks old to 7 wks old. He was able to sleep 2-3 hours that way. At 7 wks we tried the bassinet again...swaddle him, pacifier, white noise machine and use the sleep positioner--he sleeps 3 hours at a time now. I think it just takes time. It seemed that he would wake up when he can move so that's why we use the swaddle and sleep positioner. Now I'm ready for him to sleep more than 3 hours :) Good luck.

I had a similar problem. I know everyone says not to, but try putting him to sleep on his belly. It fixed all of our sleeping problems. I also bought a monitor that lets me know if he does not breath for 10-15 minutes just to make sure.

I would try a white noise machine. My third daughter could not sleep without white noise to block out her two older sisters.

every child is different but you might check with his doctor about him waking up good luck

Hey A.,

I am a big fan of cosleeping too! But it is not for everyone and no lie, it is hard to wean from once started.

But since you had not had this issue with your other children, have you considered acid reflux. My little one was a poor sleeper for 2 years until the reflux was under control and we started treatment early. Reasons for acid reflux can be none at all, to bottle feeding and especially preterm babies.

So if this baby was earlier than due date, or you are bottle feeding this one and breastfed the others, or again no reason at all.... talk to your MD about acid reflux. Sleep disturbance is common with reflux, as your little one is lying down and therefore less gravity to keep the refluxing down, so all the acid is rushing up their throat and the painful burning can be enough to wake them. The easily falling back to sleep, suggest he is tired and not meaning to wake.

Things to look for but not every baby will have with reflux, are decreased appetite, food aversion, smelly spit up, more frequent spit up, vomiting, distruptive sleep patterns, poor weight gain and possible failure to thrive. Look up acid reflux to see more as these are just the ones I recall.

In our case my little one was 110th percentile for weight but they time they aggressive began treating she was vomiting everything that went down and still gaining in height and weight. They wouldn't beleive me how much she puked.... so I just started feeding her in the waiting rooms and then letting her puke in their office. It took the witnessing of the event to understand I was not just a paranoid first timer.

So please know, NOT all babies with reflux will look like they have it. My child had a severe case and honestly should have been severely underweight. Every baby is different, but do trust your mommy instincts.

And for your sake, I do hope it is something simple and not reflux. But more importantly many wishes and prayers you all get needed sleep and stay well.
-MB

Try taking him to bed with you. Some babies are just needier than others. Your nearness will probably be a big comfort to him. If you nurse him, it's even better, because you can just feed him or comfort-nurse him back to sleep when he begins to rouse.

You can find out how to do co-sleeping safely at askdrsears.com.

Also, if you don't have one, get a sling, wrap or other infant carrier, and carry him as much as you can during the day (this also makes it easier to care for your other children, because your newborn is just on you, keeping your hands free). Try for at least 4 hours per day. The idea is, the longer he is held so close to you, the more comforted he is and the more peacefully he will sleep. Also, this way, he is learning that day time is active time, because that's when Mom's awake and he hears more noises, rather than sleeping alone in another part of the house. Finally, it organizes his brain function and helps him to adjust to life outside of the womb more gently and effectively.

I love my Ergo! It's a great investment. Many moms also swear by the Moby and various slings. If you get a sling, make sure that it has ample padding for the shoulder.

Hi A.. I might get some flack for telling you this and certainly only try it if you are comfortable with it, but try putting him to sleep on his tummy. I KNOW THE DOCTORS SAY IT'S NOT SAFE, but my daughter is 3 months old and she had the same problem. I noticed that when I was changing her diaper, she would throw her arms out to the side, look extremely terrified, then let out a blood curdling scream. She felt like she was falling. I watched her one day during her nap and even though I put her in the sleep positioner on her side, she would wiggle around and get onto her back. Then she would have the falling sensation and wake up crying. I put her on her belly and she has slept so much better! Just a suggestion.......